Improvement in sugar-evaporators



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nNITED STATES PATET OFFICE.

HoMEE/c. STEVENS AND rHEoDoEE w. STEVENS, Von ENOSBURG, Vn

IMPROVEMENT IN SUGAR-EVAPORATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,576, dated April 8,1873; application filed October 28, 1872.

To all whom it may concern: n

Be it known that we, HOMER C. STEVENS and THEoDoRE W. STEVENS, ofEnosburg, in the county of Franklin and State of Vermont, have inventeda certain new and useful improvement in apparatus for boiling andevaporating maple sap, the juice of sorghum, sugar-cane, beet, or othersubstances; and the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side sectionalView through the eVaporating-pan, fire flue or place, and chimney,showin g the coil of pipe in the iiue of the chimney as attached to ahinged door, through which coil the sap or juice flows from the tub orreservoir, and is discharged into the evaporatingfpan. Fig. 2 is a side-View elevation of the evaporating apparatus, showing the door open, onwhich the heating coil of pipe is attached, so that it can be easilycleaned from an accumulation of-soot to make the heating of the sap orjuice effectual while it is passing through it to the pan.

The nature and object of our invention is to economize fuel and time inreducing maple sap and other juices to Sirup by heat or artificialevaporation; and it consists in the coil of pipe being placed in theflue or chimney of the furnace above the evaporating-pan, the coil Vofpipe being So attached to a door or shutter that it can be openedoutward from the chimney and removed from the flue, so as to be easilyrcleaned of the smoke and soot that rapidly accumulate oneverythin gwithin the draftflue, where the smoke and gases are partially consumed.

To enable others to make and use our improvements, we will describe themmore fully, referring to the drawing and letters thereon.

In the manufacture of maple Sirup and su gar the process generallyheretofore has been by boiling the sap in furnace-kettles set rudely outof door, or in a small cabin, in the midst of the Sap-orchard, where theflow of sap could be more conveniently gathered in tubs, and as it isreduced the kettles have been replenished by pouring in the cold sap,which, for a time, causesthe ebullition to cease, which greatly retardsthe evaporation and consumes the time and fuel without any ben- Y point,and passing over the surface of the pan.

in channels of sufficient length to reduce it to Sirupl when dischargedat another point. The juice or sap thus let into the pan does not becomesufciently heated for a considerable length of time to commenceebullition, and consequently there is no evaporation or reduction, buton the contrary is expanded until it gets to a boiling heat; here isalso a very perceptible loss of time and waste otl fuel. j

Our improvement provides a means, at a very little expense, by which thesap or juice may be brought to nearly or quite a boiling temperature asit iiows from the reservoir A into the evaporating-pan B set in themasonry C, which forms the furnace or iireplace D. In the rear or oneside of the draft-chimney E there is left au opening to the flue, F, inwhich is fitted a slab or door, G, of some incombustible material, thesame being hinged so as to open down or outwardly. On the door G wesecure a spirally-coiled tube, H, which is inclosed within the Iiue F atthe base of the chimney E, as seen in Fig. l, the upper end connectingwith the reservoir A, and the lower end fitting into the tube or stem ofthe spigot h, which is made to slide in and out of the front of thechimney, so that when the stem or tube is drawn forward the door G maybe opened, and the coiled tube H so exposed that it can be easilycleaned of soot or other foul matter as often as desirable, to have theheat take effect on the brass or copper coil, and' thus utilize the heatthat would be otherwise lost, to bring the juice or sap to a boilingtemperature before it drips into the evaporating-pan.

With our improvements, constructed and arranged in the manner aS abovedescribed, fully one-third more sap or juice can be reduced to Sirup ina given time with the same amount of fuel, thus eecting a net saving ofat least thirty-three per cent. in the cost of making maple Sirup andsugar, and it is presumed to be equally economical in the manufacture ofsugar from the beet., sorghum, or 2. In combination with the chimney Ehavother sugar-cane. ing an opening F, the hinged door or shutter WhatWe claim is G and coil H, arranged to be easily opened 1. Thespira-lly-coiled pipe H, attached to to expose the coil for e1eaning,asherein shown the hinged door G or shutter, which can be and described.

easily opened and detached, and closed to HOMER C. STEVENS.connectwiththe sap-reservoirA, and diseharg- THEODORE W. STEVENS.ing-spigot h to operate within the chimney Witnesses:

or Hue of the evaporating-furnace, as herein SrH. STEVENS,

set forth. ALFRED B. SWIFT.

